Rapidly deployable housing units and compact folding furniture therefor

ABSTRACT

A folding furniture assembly can be provided that includes a foldable frame and any combination of an upper bunk, a lower bunk, a stowable chair, and a stowable table. The foldable frame is coupled to a support and includes a front leg configured to brace the foldable frame away from the support when unfolded. The upper bunk is configured to support a sleeper and is pivotably coupled with the front leg and the support. The lower bunk can support a sleeper below the upper bunk and is pivotably coupled with the support and the front leg. The stowable chair and/or the stowable table is/are stowably supported by the assembly, e.g., by the lower bunk. The stowable chair and/or the stowable table has/have a stowed configuration when the foldable frame is in unfolded and can have a deployed configuration when the foldable frame is folded.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/303,857, filed Jan. 27, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This application is directed to housing units that can be rapidly deployed and folding furniture components and assemblies therefor.

Description of the Related Art

In a variety of settings, housing units that can be rapidly deployed and set up for use are beneficial. Emergency conditions such as wildfires can erupt in remote areas prompting firefighters and other personnel to be temporarily on-site. While a tent or other temporary shelter may suffice for short deployments in hospitable climates, a more complete shelter often is preferred. In such conditions, having housing that can be rapidly deployed to provide relative comfort and shelter to emergency workers would be beneficial.

In other emergency conditions it would be beneficial to house a population of people displaced by extreme weather conditions. For example, in the case of hurricane, flood or tornado events housing can be temporarily rendered unsafe for human use. In such conditions having a rapidly deployed housing unit that can provide more complete shelter would be useful. Further, it would be useful for such shelter to be compact to simplify and reduce the cost of shipping and use to the affected individuals and to the community if emergency aid funds the use of such housing.

Short to medium term housing units would also be useful for meeting certain acute urban needs. For example, certain segments of the population of many large cities struggle to find housing for a variety of reasons. While many approaches to this difficult problem have been tried in some cases short to medium term solutions are lacking. Many cities struggle to find a suitable location for a long-term shelter. Also, the need for more complete shelter may vary over the course of the year and during unusual weather conditions.

SUMMARY

This application is directed to structures for compactly arranging furniture in a shelter. The shelter can be a temporary shelter. The shelter can be a small housing unit. The shelter can be a space where frequent reconfiguration is beneficial.

A folding furniture assembly can be provided that includes a foldable frame and any combination of an upper bunk, a lower bunk, a stowable chair, and a stowable table. The foldable frame is coupled to a wall support (e.g., a free-standing frame that is configured to be placed near a wall, a structure or structures for connecting to a wall, a part or parts of a wall, or any combination thereof) and includes a front leg configured to brace the foldable frame away from the support when unfolded. The upper bunk is configured to support a sleeper and is pivotably coupled with the front leg and the support. The lower bunk can support a sleeper below the upper bunk and is pivotably coupled with the support and the front leg. The stowable chair and/or the stowable table is/are stowably supported by the assembly, e.g., by the lower bunk. The stowable chair and/or the stowable table could be stowably supported by the upper bunk. The stowable chair and/or the stowable table has/have a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration. The stowed configuration can be provided when the foldable frame is unfolded. The stowable chair and/or stowable table can be stowed when the foldable frame is folded. The stowable chair and/or stowable table can have a deployed configuration when the foldable frame is folded.

In one embodiment a folding furniture assembly is provided. The folding furniture assembly can include a wall support, a foldable frame, an upper bunk, a lower bunk, a stowable chair, and a stowable table. The wall support is configured to be anchored to or disposed adjacent to an interior wall of a housing unit. The foldable frame is coupled to the wall support. The foldable frame includes a front leg configured to brace the foldable frame away from the wall support in an unfolded configuration. The upper bunk has an upper bunk support and an upper bunk top configured to support a sleeper. The upper bunk support is coupled with the front leg and forms a part of the foldable frame. The upper bunk support is pivotably coupled with the wall support. The lower bunk has a lower bunk support and a lower bunk top. The lower bunk top is configured to support a sleeper below the upper bunk. The lower bunk support is coupled with the front leg and forms a part of the foldable frame. The lower bunk support is pivotably coupled with the wall support. The stowable chair has a chair frame and a chair top. The stowable chair is stowably supported by a track. The track is coupled with the lower bunk support. The chair frame has a slide configured to move along the track between a stowed position of the chair and a deployed position of the chair. The stowable table has a table frame and a tabletop. The table frame is coupled to the lower bunk support by a hinge connection. The stowable table has stowed configuration when the foldable frame is in the unfolded configuration and a deployed configuration where the table frame and the tabletop are positioned in a horizontal position.

In another embodiment a folding furniture assembly is provided that includes a foldable frame and a gas spring. The foldable frame is configured to be coupled to a wall or a wall support. The foldable frame includes a four-bar linkage comprising a front leg, an upper bunk support configured to support a sleeper, and a lower bunk support. The upper bunk support is pivotably coupled with the front leg. The upper bunk support is configured to be pivotably coupled with the wall or the wall support. The lower bunk support is configured to support a sleeper below the upper bunk. The lower bunk support is pivotably coupled with the front leg and configured to be pivotably coupled with the wall or the wall support. The gas spring has a first end configured to be coupled to a wall or a wall support and a second end. The second end is coupled with the foldable frame. The gas spring applies a load to assist moving the four-bar linkage from an unfolded configuration to a folded configuration.

In another embodiment, a rapid deploy housing unit is provided that includes an enclosure having a housing exterior and a housing interior the housing interior enclosing a space for sheltering one or more occupants. A folding furniture assembly is disposed in the rapid deploy housing unit. The folding furniture assembly includes a bunk support, a front leg, and a stowable table. The bunk support has a first edge pivotably coupled to a wall support or directly to the housing interior. The front leg is pivotably coupled to a second edge of the bunk support. The front leg is configured to brace the bunk support when the folding furniture assembly 100 is unfolded. The stowable table has a table frame coupled to the bunk support. The stowable table has a stowed configuration when the foldable frame is in the unfolded configuration and a deployed configuration where the foldable frame is in a folded configuration and the stowable table is positioned in a horizontal position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the inventions can be better understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying schematic drawings, which are for illustrative purposes. The drawings include the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rapid deploy housing unit including a folding furniture assembly;

FIG. 2 shows an interior of the rapid deploy housing unit of FIG. 1 having two folding furniture assemblies, with one being folded against the housing interior wall another unfolded to allow for sleeping;

FIG. 3 shows the folding furniture assembly shown in FIG. 2 in a folded configuration, showing a stowable chair and a stowable table stowed in a lower bunk support;

FIG. 4 shows the folding furniture assembly shown in FIG. 2 in a partially unfolded configuration;

FIGS. 5-9 show support structure for the folding furniture assembly of FIG. 2 , with table, chair, and bunk tops reviewed to show the support structure;

FIG. 10 shows the stowable chair and stowable table in a deployed configuration while the foldable frame of the folding furniture assembly is folded;

FIG. 11 shows the stowable chair shown in FIG. 10 in a partially unfolded configuration; and

FIGS. 12-13 show details of the stowable chair and the stowable table, with table and chair tops reviewed to show the support structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present description sets forth specific details of various embodiments, it will be appreciated that the description is illustrative but should not be construed in any way as limiting. Furthermore, various applications of such embodiments and modifications thereto, which may occur to those who are skilled in the art, are also encompassed by the general concepts described herein. Each and every feature described herein, and each and every combination of two or more of such features, is included within the scope of the present inventions provided that the features included in such a combination are not mutually inconsistent.

This disclosure relates to folding furniture, which has particular utility in rapid deploy housing. Such furniture enables a small space to be reconfigured for different uses over the course of the day, e.g., for sleeping at night and to provide a table or worksurface during the day.

FIG. 1 shows a rapid deploy housing unit 50 that can meet a variety of housing applications. The rapid deploy housing unit 50 can be mounted on a skid 54. The skid 54 can facilitate delivery on a flatbed truck, trailer or other similar vehicle. The rapid deploy housing unit 50 can be of a size and weight that a standard pickup truck can deliver it. The rapid deploy housing unit 50 can have a housing exterior 58 that encloses a space providing more shelter than other forms of rapidly deployed housing, e.g., a tent. The housing exterior 58 can surround an interior space for providing shelter, which can be lined with a housing interior 62. The rapid deploy housing unit 50 can have insulation between the housing exterior 58 and the housing interior 62 as would be appropriate for the environment of use. The rapid deploy housing unit 50 can be used to shelter one or more occupants.

FIG. 2 shows that in some variations of the rapid deploy housing unit 50 a small space is provided that can be used in a variety of ways. The interior space can house one or two or more folding furniture assemblies 100. FIG. 2 shows two folding furniture assemblies 100 disposed in the interior space. One folding furniture assembly 100 (on the left in the figure) is folded up out of the way. The other folding furniture assembly 100 (on the right in the figure) is unfolded to be used for sleeping. The folding furniture assembly 100 can be supported by a wall support 110. The wall support 110 can be part of a foldable frame 108. FIG. 2 shows the foldable frame 108 in an unfolded configuration. In some embodiments the wall support 110 stands adjacent to a wall of the housing interior 62. The wall support 110 can have a plurality of contact points with the floor at a head end of the folding furniture assembly 100 and at a foot end of the folding furniture assembly 100. The wall support 110 can include one or more U-shape members or U-shaped assemblies, with an open part of the U facing downward and touching the ground. In some embodiments the wall support 110 is coupled to or anchored to an exterior or interior structure of the wall of the housing interior 62. In some embodiments the wall support 110 is part of or integrated into the wall and the foldable frame 108 is coupled thereto.

The folding furniture assembly 100 includes a bed assembly 104. The bed assembly 104 can include one or more bunks. For example, the bed assembly 104 can include an upper bunk 112. The bed assembly 104 can include a lower bunk 118. The bed assembly 104 can include the upper bunk 112 and the lower bunk 118. The foldable frame 108 can be configured to unfold the upper bunk 112 and the lower bunk 118 simultaneously in some embodiments.

The foldable frame 108 can have a variety of configurations. In one embodiment the foldable frame 108 includes a front leg 109 configured to brace or support an upper bunk support 114 and a lower bunk support 120. The front leg 109 can be pivotably coupled to one end of the upper bunk support 114 at an upper portion of the leg. The front leg 109 can be pivotably coupled to one end of the lower bunk support 120 adjacent to a lower end of the leg. FIG. 2 shows that the foldable frame 108 can include a second front leg 109 opposite the first front leg 109. The front legs 109 can pivot out from a position adjacent to the housing interior 62 (as seen on the left in FIG. 2 ) to an unfolded position touching the ground (as seen on the right in FIG. 2 ).

FIG. 3 shows additional features of the folding furniture assembly 100. The folding furniture assembly 100 includes an upper bunk top 116 that is coupled with the upper bunk support 114. The lower bunk 118 can include a lower bunk top 124 coupled with the lower bunk support 120. One or each of the upper bunk top 116 and the lower bunk top 124 can support a mattress or other comfort providing device. The upper bunk top 116 can support a sleeper when the foldable frame 108 is unfolded. The lower bunk top 124 can support a sleeper when the foldable frame 108 is unfolded below the upper bunk 112.

The folded configuration seen in FIG. 3 can be maintained by a locking device 132. In one embodiment a locking device 132 is provided on each side of the lower bunk 118 to secure the foldable frame 108 in the folded configuration. A single locking device 132 can be provided in some cases. The locking device 132 is shown in closer detail in FIGS. 12-13 . The locking device 132 can include a pin slideably coupled to the lower bunk support 120. The pin can be slideable into and out of an aperture formed on a side of the wall support 110 that faces the lower bunk 118. In one embodiment, a locking device 132 is slideably coupled to a head portion of the lower bunk support 120 and a foot portion of the lower bunk support 120. The pin of the locking device 132 can be withdrawn from the aperture in the wall support 110 to allow the unfolding of the foldable frame 108. The pin can be spring actuated. For example, as the pin is withdrawn and disengaged from the aperture, a spring can be compressed storing strain energy. When the foldable frame 108 is folded, the pin can be released from the strain energy storing configuration by actuating a detent or other mechanism, allowing the pin to be inserted, e.g., to self-extend, into the aperture of the wall support 110 to lock the foldable frame 108 in place in the folded position.

The folding and unfolding of the foldable frame 108 can also be facilitated by a hinge connection 128 coupling a lengthwise edge of the upper bunk support 114 and the lower bunk support 120 to the wall support 110. FIGS. 5-6 show that in embodiment, the wall support 110 has a U-shaped member 111 a, an upper cross-brace 111 b, and a lower cross-brace 111 c. The hinge connection 128 can have portion connected to the upper cross-brace 111 b and another portion coupled to the upper bunk support 114 in the upper bunk 112. The upper bunk 112 can be coupled by more than one hinge, e.g., by two, three, or more than three hinges. The lower bunk 118 can be coupled to the lower cross-brace 111 c by one or more (e.g., two, three or more than three) hinge connections 128. The hinge connections 128 can have a portion coupled with the lower cross-brace 111 c and a portion coupled with the lower bunk support 120.

The bed assembly 104, including the foldable frame 108, the upper bunk 112, and the lower bunk 118, can be heavy. Folding the foldable frame 108 can require more force than some users would be able to provide. In one embodiment, the folding furniture assembly 100 includes a gas spring 134 that can provide a load for folding the foldable frame 108. The gas spring 134 can assist moving the foldable frame 108 to the folded configuration. FIG. 4 shows that in one embodiment, the gas spring 134 can be disposed between the upper bunk top 116 and the wall support 110. The gas spring 134 can have a first end coupled with the wall support 110 and a second end coupled with the upper bunk support 114. The gas spring 134 can include an outer cylinder and an inner member. Upon unfolding the foldable frame 108 the inner member of the gas spring 134 can be pushed into the outer cylinder, compressing a gas in the gas spring 134. The compression of the gas can store energy in the gas spring 134. The stored energy can be released when folding by allowing the gas to be uncompressed while at the same time causing a load to be provided to the upper bunk support 114. This load helps reduce the amount of force to be applied by the user to fold the foldable frame 108 and stow the folding furniture assembly 100. The user can even fold the foldable frame 108 with a single hand, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 9 . FIG. 7 shows that to provide compactness, the first end of the gas spring 134 can be mounted to a side of the wall support 110 facing the upper bunk 112 and the lower bunk 118. To further provide compactness, the second end of the gas spring 134 can be mounted to a bottom side of the upper bunk support 114. The foregoing connection points allow the gas spring 134 to be out of the way under the bed and inside the footprint of the wall support 110. Providing compactness is beneficial for compact housing conditions, such as with the rapid deploy housing unit 50. The folding furniture assembly 100 includes two gas spring 134, one at the foot end of the upper bunk 112 and one at the head end of the upper bunk 112. Providing two gas springs 134 results in a balanced load supplied by the gas springs which maintains smooth movement of the foldable frame 108. In a lighter variation one gas spring could be used. In another configuration a single gas spring 134 can be placed spaced away from the head or foot end of the upper bunk 112, e.g., toward the middle portion, a third or a half of the distance of the upper bunk 112 from the head or foot end.

FIG. 3 shows additional features of the folding furniture assembly 100. The lower bunk 118 is configured to allow other furniture to be stowed below the lower bunk support 120. The folding furniture assembly 100 can include a stowable chair 140 and a stowable table 180. The stowable chair 140 can be stowed under the lower bunk 118. The stowable chair 140 can be secured to the lower bunk support 120. FIG. 3 shows that the folding furniture assembly 100 can include two stowable chairs 140, one toward the head end of the lower bunk 118 and one toward the foot end of the lower bunk 118. The stowable chair 140 can be held up when the foldable frame 108 is unfolded so that they are off the ground of the rapid deploy housing unit 50 when the bunks are out for sleeping or transitioning between folded and unfolded (as seen in FIG. 4 ). The stowable chair 140 can be deployed when the foldable frame 108 is folded with the bunks up against a wall of the housing interior 62.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show the stowable chair 140 in a stowed position. The stowable chair 140 includes a chair frame 144 coupled with a slide 152 that can include a PVC bearing that is able to slide within a track 154. The track 154 can be integrated into a lower portion of the lower bunk support 120. The track 154 can include a L or C-shaped structure that can house the slide 152 and allow the slide to move along the track. To deploy the stowable chair 140 the user pulls up on the chair frame 144 as indicated by the arrow A1 (See FIGS. 12-13 ). When the slide 152 reaches the top of the track 154 the chair frame 144 can be rotated as indicated by the arrow A2 (see FIG. 11 ). Also, a stowable leg 160 of the stowable chair 140 can be rotated out as indicated by the arrow A3 (see FIG. 11 ). Once deployed, a chair top 148 of the stowable chair 140 is generally horizontal for use as a seat. The track 154 and the slide 152 provide a self-supporting arrangement so that the stowable chair 140 is held in place in the folded state of the foldable frame 108 by gravity and does not require any additional locking mechanism. In some cases, a pin, detent or other locking device can be provided to hold the stowable leg 160 in a stowed position when the stowable chair 140 is stowed.

The folding furniture assembly 100 also includes a stowable table 180. FIG. 10 shows the stowable table 180 in the deployed configuration. The stowable table 180 is supported by the foldable frame 108, e.g., by a longitudinal edge of the lower bunk support 120. The stowable table 180 includes a table frame 184 that supports the weight of a tabletop 188. The table frame 184 distributes loads placed on the tabletop 188 to the ground through the lower bunk support 120 and through a stowable leg 196. The stowable leg 196 can have a telescoping configuration that allows the stowable table 180 to be at a proper height while allowing the stowable leg 196 to be out of the way in a stowed configuration. The stowable leg 196 can have an upper portion 200 a that is pivotably coupled to the table frame 184 and a lower portion 200 b that is extendable from the upper portion 200 a to provide proper length of the leg and proper height of the stowable table 180. The stowable leg 196 has an elongated deployed configuration at least when the lower portion 200 b is extended from the upper portion 200 a. The stowable leg 196 can fold against a bottom surface of the tabletop 188.

FIGS. 12-13 show that the stowable table 180 can be pivotably connected to the table frame 184 by a hinge connection 186. The hinge connection 186 can have a portion coupled with an outward facing side of a lengthwise portion of the lower bunk support 120. The hinge connection 186 can have a portion coupled with a side of the table frame 184 that faces the lower bunk support 120 when the table is deployed. The stowable table 180 can be retained in a stowed position when not in use. For example, when the foldable frame 108 is unfolded the bunks are positioned horizontally for sleeping. The stowable table 180 should be stowed out of the way. However, it is useful to maintain a floor space below the folding furniture assembly 100 unobstructed. FIG. 8 shows that the stowable table 180 can be held up in the stowed position. In this way other objects can be tucked under the tabletop 188 which is facing but spaced from the floor. The stowable table 180 can include a lock 192 that is configured to secure the table frame 184 in the stowed configuration. FIG. 12 shows one embodiment in which the table frame 184 is secured by a pin and aperture connection configuration of the lock 192 that is similar to the locking device 132 discussed above. The feature of the lock 192 will not be repeated as they can be the same as those of the locking device 132. Other locking devices could be provided for the locking device 132 or the lock 192.

Many variations of the foregoing device are possible. For example, while it is useful to have two stowable chairs, the stowable chairs can be omitted. The stowable table 180 can be provided. Separate chairs or no chairs can be provided in some applications. Although coupling the stowable table 180 with the lower bunk 118 provides a good height for seating, a table similar to the stowable table 180 or a work bench could be coupled with the upper bunk 112. In one variation a stowable table is coupled with each of the upper bunk 112 and the lower bunk 118 so that the user can deploy the table that has the desired height.

Although the gas spring 134 is provided to apply a load to the upper bunk 112, a gas spring could be coupled with the lower bunk 118 to apply a load thereto. Also, although gas springs are preferred, other devices for storing strain energy or for providing mechanical advantage can be used instead. A coil spring could be provided to move the foldable frame 108 to the folded configuration. A pulley and cord could be used to pull up the foldable frame 108 to the folded state.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the systems and methods described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present inventions is defined only by reference to the appended claims.

Features, materials, characteristics, or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment, or example are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described in this section or elsewhere in this specification unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection is not restricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The protection extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Furthermore, certain features that are described in this disclosure in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations, one or more features from a claimed combination can, in some cases, be excised from the combination, and the combination may be claimed as a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Moreover, while operations may be depicted in the drawings or described in the specification in a particular order, such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Other operations that are not depicted or described can be incorporated in the example methods and processes. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the described operations. Further, the operations may be rearranged or reordered in other implementations. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken in the processes illustrated and/or disclosed may differ from those shown in the figures. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the steps described above may be removed, others may be added. Furthermore, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Also, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single product or packaged into multiple products.

For purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features are described herein. Not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or a group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may be either X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require the presence of at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.

Language of degree used herein, such as the terms “approximately,” “about,” “generally,” and “substantially” as used herein represent a value, amount, or characteristic close to the stated value, amount, or characteristic that still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”, “generally,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 10% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, within less than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of the stated amount. As another example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel” and “substantially parallel” refer to a value, amount, or characteristic that departs from exactly parallel by less than or equal to 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, 3 degrees, 1 degree, or 0.1 degree.

The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the specific disclosures of preferred embodiments in this section or elsewhere in this specification, and may be defined by claims as presented in this section or elsewhere in this specification or as presented in the future. The language of the claims is to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to the examples described in the present specification or during the prosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A folding furniture assembly, comprising: a wall support configured to be anchored to or disposed adjacent to an interior wall of a housing unit; a foldable frame coupled to the wall support, the foldable frame comprising a front leg configured to brace the foldable frame away from the wall support in an unfolded configuration; an upper bunk comprising an upper bunk support and an upper bunk top configured to support a sleeper, the upper bunk support being coupled with the front leg and forming a part of the foldable frame, the upper bunk support being pivotably coupled with the wall support; a lower bunk comprising a lower bunk support and a lower bunk top configured to support a sleeper below the upper bunk, the lower bunk support being coupled with the front leg and forming a part of the foldable frame, the lower bunk support being pivotably coupled with the wall support; a stowable chair comprising a chair frame and a chair top stowably supported by a track coupled with the lower bunk support, the chair frame comprising a slide configured to move along the track between a stowed position of the stowable chair and a deployed position of the stowable chair; and a stowable table comprising a table frame and a tabletop, the table frame coupled to the lower bunk support by a hinge connection, the stowable table having stowed configuration when the foldable frame is in the unfolded configuration and a deployed configuration where the table frame and the tabletop are positioned in a horizontal position.
 2. The folding furniture assembly of claim 1, wherein the wall support comprises a first U-shaped member having a plurality of contact points on a head end of the folding furniture assembly and a second U-shaped member having a plurality of contact points on a foot end of the folding furniture assembly.
 3. The folding furniture assembly of claim 1, wherein the wall support further comprises an upper cross-brace and a lower cross-brace, the upper bunk support being coupled to the upper cross-brace by a hinge connection, the lower bunk support coupled to the lower cross-brace by a hinge connection.
 4. The folding furniture assembly of claim 3, wherein the front leg is pivotably coupled with the upper bunk opposite the hinge connection between the upper bunk and the wall support and the lower bunk opposite the hinge connection between the lower bunk and the wall support.
 5. The folding furniture assembly of claim 1, wherein the wall support, the front leg, the upper bunk support, and the lower bunk support comprises a four-bar linkage.
 6. The folding furniture assembly of claim 1, wherein the stowable chair comprises a first stowable chair and further comprising a second stowable chair, the stowable table disposed between the first stowable chair and the second stowable chair.
 7. The folding furniture assembly of claim 1, wherein the stowable chair includes a stowable leg configured to fold against a bottom surface of the chair top.
 8. The folding furniture assembly of claim 1, wherein the stowable table includes a stowable leg configured to fold against a bottom surface of the tabletop.
 9. The folding furniture assembly of claim 8, wherein the stowable leg comprises an upper portion and a lower portion slideably extendable from the upper portion to provide a compact folded configuration and an elongated deployed configuration.
 10. The folding furniture assembly of claim 1, further comprising a locking device coupled with the foldable frame, the locking device having an engaged position inserted into an aperture in the wall support and a disengaged position retracted form the aperture, the disengaged position allowing deployment of the foldable frame.
 11. The folding furniture assembly of claim 1, further comprising a gas spring having a first end coupled with the wall support and a second end coupled with the foldable frame, the gas spring applying a load to assist moving the foldable frame to a folded configuration.
 12. A folding furniture assembly, comprising: a foldable frame configured to be coupled to a wall or a wall support, the foldable frame comprising a four-bar linkage comprising a front leg, an upper bunk support configured to support a sleeper, the upper bunk support pivotably coupled with the front leg and configured to be pivotably coupled with the wall or the wall support, and a lower bunk support configured to support a sleeper below the upper bunk support, the lower bunk support being pivotably coupled with the front leg and configured to be pivotably coupled with the wall or the wall support; and a gas spring having a first end configured to be coupled to a wall or a wall support and a second end coupled with the foldable frame, the gas spring applying a load to assist moving the four-bar linkage from an unfolded configuration to a folded configuration.
 13. The folding furniture assembly of claim 12, further comprising a stowable chair supported by the lower bunk support in a stowed configuration and in a deployed position.
 14. The folding furniture assembly of claim 13, wherein the stowable chair comprises a chair frame stowably supported by a track coupled with the lower bunk support, the chair frame comprising a slide configured to move along the track between a stowed position of the stowable chair and the deployed position of the stowable chair.
 15. The folding furniture assembly of claim 12, further comprising a stowable table supported by the lower bunk support, the stowable table having a stowed configuration when the foldable frame is in an unfolded configuration and a deployed configuration where a tabletop of the stowable table is positioned in a horizontal position.
 16. The folding furniture assembly of claim 15, further comprising a hinge connection and a lock, the hinge connection disposed between a table frame of the stowable table and a frame member of the lower bunk support, the lock configured to retain the stowable table in the stowed configuration when the foldable frame is in the unfolded configuration.
 17. A rapid deploy housing unit, comprising: an enclosure having a housing exterior and a housing interior, the housing interior enclosing a space for sheltering one or more occupants; and a folding furniture assembly disposed in the rapid deploy housing unit, the folding furniture assembly comprising: a bunk support having a first edge pivotably coupled to a wall support or directly to the housing interior; a front leg pivotably coupled to a second edge of the bunk support, the front leg configured to brace the bunk support when the folding furniture assembly is unfolded; and a stowable table comprising a table frame coupled to the bunk support and having a stowed configuration when the bunk support is in an unfolded configuration and a deployed configuration when the bunk support is in a folded configuration and the stowable table is positioned in a horizontal position.
 18. The rapid deploy housing unit of claim 17, wherein the folding furniture assembly further comprises a gas spring having a first end coupled with the wall support or to the housing interior and a second end coupled with the bunk support, the gas spring applying a load to assist moving the folding furniture assembly to a folded configuration.
 19. The rapid deploy housing unit of claim 18, wherein the bunk support is a lower bunk support and further comprising an upper bunk support to support a sleeper above the lower bunk support.
 20. The rapid deploy housing unit of claim 19, wherein the second end of the gas spring is coupled with the upper bunk support to assist moving the upper bunk support and the lower bunk support to the folding furniture assembly. 